WSTA appoints new executive board members

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has expanded its executive board with three new appointments, including the arrival of Cambridge Wine Merchants owner Hal Wilson.

Alongside Cambridge Wine Merchants’ Wilson, who founded the business in 1993, the other new board appointments are spiritis industry veteran Lee James, Rémy Cointreau’s managing director UK, Ireland and Nordic markets since 2024, and Kim Wilson, founder and managing director of North South Wines, which was incorporated in 2014. Wilson also won the Woman Of The Year prize at last year’s The Drinks Business Awards.

“The WSTA is proud of its broad-based membership, which allows us to represent the whole of the wine and spirit industry supply chain,” commented the trade body’s chief executive Miles Beale. “It’s a great pleasure to welcome aboard three enthusiastic, talented and experienced new board members, who will be great representatives for their business types and assets to supporting the work of the WSTA.”

“Our aim is to give a voice to every wine and spirit business, no matter how big or small,” continued Beale. “We are delighted to add to our top table Hal, aka the ‘King of the indies’, Kim, founder and MD of an award-winning, growing mid-sized distributor, along with such a seasoned drinks trade expert, in Lee, who works for one of the big global luxury spirits companies.”

“It is incredibly important to us to ensure we do our utmost to meet all members’ needs. Having a diverse range of individuals offering expertise from varying perspectives is crucial to the WSTA delivering for its membership,” added board chair and Edrington UK managing director Mark Riley.

Hal Wilson told the drinks business that he hoped “to offer the perspective of the independent trade whenever appropriate”.

“These are interesting times for our industry, with challenges coming from multiple fronts,” he said. “It is great to see the association working with more companies across the industry as well as other trade bodies from the drinks supply chain and my appointment to the board is evidence of that.”

The new appointments bring the size of the WSTA’s executive board up to 14.

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